We need bi-partisan support for solutions to climate change

Here we are again. Another summer has wound down, and another destructive super-storm has struck one of our coastal neighbors. The startling imagery from these storms can have a numbing effect over time; homes under water, crowded emergency shelters, mothers crying over lost loved ones. Is this footage from Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017; 89 deaths; $126.3B)? Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012; 233 deaths; $88.4B)? Or is it from Katrina (2005; 1,833 deaths; $103.9B)?

Like Harvey, strong winds were never the real concern with North Carolina’s Hurricane Florence; it’s all about the water. Residents have been swamped by the storm surge, and trillions of gallons of rainfall have reached all the way into the Appalachians. Yes, hurricanes have always been a concern for those fortunate enough to live in the beautiful coastal South. But these slow-moving, behemoth-sized storms are something new.

Due to the rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 over the past century (it recently surpassed 406 ppm), more solar energy is trapped within Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. The last time there was this much atmospheric CO2, Megalodons hunted the oceans, saber-toothed cats prowled the forests, and an early human ancestor, Homo habilis, was just showing up in Africa. While our planet has had a high-CO2 atmosphere before, it’s the rapid, exponential rate of change that is so concerning.

No, climate change cannot be pinpointed as the direct cause of any one storm. But it is absolutely true that a warmer, wetter climate strengthens storms like Hurricane Florence. Warmer air holds more water vapor, and higher ocean temperatures fuel stronger storms. The massive area covered by these storms means a much larger storm surge gets pushed inland. And like in Houston last year, the relative snail-pace of Hurricane Florence led to huge amounts of rain over the affected region. An estimated 18 trillion gallons of water, equivalent to the entire Chesapeake Bay, were dumped onto North Carolina. Prior to Harvey, color-coded rainfall maps did not account for more than 20 inches of water, but in looking at the current map of Wilmington, NC, we again see these new purple and white areas representing 20-50 inches.

Despite all that we know about the causes of ocean rise and warming, despite all these devastating consequences, we still lack the political will to confront this issue. Alone among every other nation on Earth, we have withdrawn from the Paris Accords and we elect leaders who deny established scientific consensus. How many more storms will be measured in feet of rainfall as opposed to inches? How much farther will we stretch our National Flood Insurance Program, already $25 billion in debt prior to Hurricane Florence? How many more families will be displaced from their homes, or lost entirely?

This trend of extreme weather events is expected to become more frequent in years to come, and we are well overdue for meaningful climate action. Fortunately, there are some excellent solutions available! Former US Senator Trent Lott has joined with a team of big oil corporations, environmental groups, and prominent conservative political strategists in calling for a plan to mitigate the effects of man-made global warming. Known as Americans for Carbon Dividends (www.afcd.org), this group is promoting legislation that will limit CO2 emissions and develop sustainable energy.

Another team of lawmakers known as the Climate Solutions Caucus is promoting similar objectives, and boasts 90 members of Congress evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Led by Florida Republican Carlos Curbelo, the economic solutions proposed by this caucus are attracting many prominent conservative leaders, Generals and Admirals in the Department of Defense, and even corporate oil executives.

If you agree that our elected leaders should be finding solutions for big-picture problems such as climate change, then let them know! Rather than patching the holes after each individual natural disaster and kicking the can down the road to our future generations, we could be pursuing the kind of high-tech solutions proposed by the AFCD and the Climate Solutions Caucus. These strategies will spur job creation and lead to a more sustainable future! And if you find your Representative is not receptive to these new ideas, consider voting for someone who is.

Chris Werle is leader of Hattiesburg’s chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and can be reached at Hattiesburg@citizensclimatelobby.org